Lori Loughlin’s daughters leave USC, fear bullying

Lori Loughlin’s Instagram–famous daughters have decided to withdraw from the University of Southern California — but apparently not because they feel ashamed that their parents allegedly bribed to get them admitted into the prestigious college, TMZ is reporting.

Instead, Isabella and Olivia Jade Giannulli won’t return to USC because they fear they will be bullied, sources connected to both daughters told TMZ.

The sisters have the full support of their parents, TV actress Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, sources told TMZ.

By choosing to withdraw, Isabella, 20, and Olivia Jade, 19, will avoid the scrutiny of USC officials who are reviewing current students and applicants whose wealthy parents have been charged in a widespread scheme to falsify college entrance exams or athletic profiles in order to help the children gain admission.

USC officials would no doubt have tried to determine whether Isabella and Olivia Jade were complicit in their parents alleged bribery.

The Giannulli parents allegedly paid $500,000 to William Rick Singer, who has pleaded guilty to charges of setting up a sham charity that funneled bribes to standardized test cheaters and university coaches on behalf of his rich clients.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of working with Singer to get Isabella and Olivia Jade admitted to USC on the false pretense of them being recruited to the university’s crew team. It’s not clear whether Isabella and Olivia Jade were aware of the alleged scam, though they apparently posed for pictures with rowing machines to be sent to USC’s subcommittee for athletic admission, Slate reported.

Loughlin and her husband appeared in federal court in Los Angeles Tuesday and Wednesday and were released on a $1 million bond.

Since news broke of the scandal, the Giannullis are among the dozens of affluent parents who have faced widespread condemnation for using their wealth and privilege to allegedly give their children an unfair and illegal advantage in the college admissions process.

On Thursday, the Hallmark Channel announced that it was cutting ties with Loughlin, a longtime collaborator on two TV series and Christmas movies. The parent company said it would no longer work with Loughlin and has stopped its development of all productions involving her.

In addition to deciding to give up her spot at USC, Olivia Jade is facing repercussions in other ways from her parents’ alleged bribery.

On Thursday, Sephora announced that it had ended a cosmetics partnership with her, TMZ reported. Olivia Jade had promoted their products on her Instagram and YouTube accounts, which have a combined 3.3 million followers.

Previously, the Hollywood Reporter and Business Insider reported that there had been questions about whether high-profile brands such as Sephora and Amazon would want to continue their partnerships with her.

Business Insider and the Hollywood Reporter also had described how Olivia Jade appeared to use her status as a USC student to help increase her social media influence and possibly the profitability of her social media accounts.